Star Wars: Dark Project
by Azrael2112
Summary: Vaapad, a powerful and ambitious terrorist organization without any ideology, has just acquired the Dark Troopers, an army of high-tech war droids with the power to destroy or conquer the galaxy's wealthiest factions. But Vaapad has underestimated its most determined enemy—Rebel Alliance spy, Cheato.
1. Chapter 1

_Star Wars: Dark Project  
_By: Azrael2112

Timeframe: The story starts between _Revenge of the Sith_ and _A New Hope_, and then continues during _The Empire Strikes Back.  
_Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi in an alternate universe where an original character, Cheato, tangles with the Dark Trooper project rather than Kyle Katarn.  
Characters: Mostly original characters; Cheato, Tsen, Lahid, Korran, Rippan, and Rix Nadime. Characters created by George Lucas, Lucasfilm, and Lucasarts in this story are: Mon Mothma, Ackbar, Jan Dodonna, Rom Mohc, Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt, and 8t-88.  
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

Notes: Howdy! I started this story well over a year ago (well actually almost a decade ago if you want to get really technical). I used to play the Star Wars Roleplaying Game with some friends back in middle school and for nostalgia's sake I decided write/alter/chronicle the stories that we played out so long ago. I took a lot of inspiration from the film _Goldeneye_ while writing this story so there are plenty of homages and tributes to that story through this one. I hope you enjoy this story as much as my friends and I have.

Thanks to A.P., David, Daniel, my brother, and my father for helping me create this story. Thanks for being with me for so long, guys.**  
**

Once more, I hope you all enjoy this story!

* * *

—1—

A TIE Fighter zoomed over the the canyon. Lava oozed from the canyon's cracks and fissures. Past the canyon, the TIE Fighter flew over an enormous dam-shaped structure roughly a kilometer high—the starfighter's shadow briefly glanced over it. The dam was made from durasteel and the rounded outer wall glowed blue, holding back the miles-long stretch of lava on the other end.

Where the dam met the canyon wall a perimeter fence opened and a Rodian suited in black ran through, carrying a roll of cable and a satchel.

He ran for several minutes until he reached the center of the dam. There he dropped his cable into a heap and connected it's length to the dam's railing and to his feet with hooks.

The Rodian peaked back down and thought, _Only a kilometer_.

He perched himself on the ledge, looked up, and leapt off.

The fall felt like minutes—even after his body jerked when the cable reached its length. On his way down he pulled a grappling gun from his belt and aimed at a square durasteel structure below. He shot the gun's hook into it and slowly retracted himself onto the roof.

The Rodian spent the next several minutes cutting a hole in the roof using a welding torch.

* * *

In the same structure, an Imperial cadet stepped into the public refresher and entered one of the stalls with a datapad in hand. He pulled down his pants, sat down, and flicked on his datapad. Above him the Rodian silently pulled back a ventilation grate off the duct he was hiding in and peered into the stall.

When the last cadet left the refresher the Rodian lowered himself into the stall while the cadet's nose was buried in his datapad. The cadet lowered it for a moment and saw him. The Rodian smiled and said, "Sorry. I forgot to knock."

The Rodian slugged the cadet and watched him fall against the wall—then he dropped silently into the refresher stall. He quietly opened the door and went for the refresher exit.

He opened the refresher exit door and stepped out, blaster in hand, checking side to side. He only saw a railed staircase leading down. He quickly went down and peered around the corner. There he saw a windowed door along the hallway and a man in a white apron covered in blood hauling meat from a chamber onto a cart.

When the butcher turned his head from his work the Rodian stepped through the door in the hallway. Inside the room was dark but he could still see stacks of shelves holding sealed goods—the Rodian could see a bit of light coming from a window and moved over to it. Outside the room was a cafeteria, packed with soldiers. A holovid played from the ceiling showing a parade on Coruscant.

The Rodian heard footsteps and chatter from behind himself. He looked back towards the door and saw two Imperial Stormtroopers walk by. After they passed, the Rodian started to walk back to the door.

A human male sprang out of the dark room with a blaster pistol pointed at the Rodian's face, babbling at him in Rodese.

The Rodian stared at him and said, "I'm alone."

The man stepped into the light coming through from the cafeteria window, smiled, and said, "I know the feeling." He paused, "You're late, Cheato."

"I had to stop by the refresher."

"Ready to save the galaxy again?"

"After you, Rippan."

Rippan knelt down and removed a ventilation grate from the floor. He turned to Cheato and smiled, "For the Rebellion."

"For the Rebellion, Rippan."

* * *

After crawling through more ducts Cheato and Rippan gently pushed open a grate in the floor slightly above them. A man in a white scientist's coat was walking away from them. After the man entered his lab both Cheato and Rippan slid the grate completely open. Cheato hoisted himself into the hallway and drew his blaster. Rippan came out next, drew his own blaster pistol, and sealed the grate.

The scientist was setting down some experimental equipment in his lab as Cheato and Rippan moved down the hallway. They walked across the window looking into the lab and Rippan opened the door. Rippan shot the scientist and he fell onto the table, scattering equipment. Cheato plugged a decoding device onto a control panel next to another laboratory door, this one sealed, and pushed a series of buttons. He glanced at Rippan as he came out of the lab and back at the sealed door. The decoding device beeped. Cheato pushed open the thick durasteel door and Rippan followed but not before pulling the decoding device off the control panel.

Both of them burst into the massive room—a staircase led from the railing they stood on onto the floor of the chamber. Another staircase stood at the opposite end of the room and a conveyor belt sat unactivated at another end of the room. They both stood at the railing, examining the room. To his left Cheato noticed a stack of shelves on the second floor containing hundreds of small gas tanks. On his right he noticed gas tanks four times the size of the others on the ground floor.

Cheato said, "This was easy."

"Lucky, "Rippan replied. He turned back to the door and placed the decoding device on it and punched a few buttons.

An alarm sounded and a red light flashed above the door. Rippan grimaced, "Great."

Both bolted down the staircase. Rippan said, "Set the timers for six minutes."

"Six minutes. Check." Cheato replied, stowing away his blaster.

The door at the top of the staircase opened and two Stormtroopers rushed out.

Rippan fired two blasts up at them. Chests smoking, one fell over the railing and the other tumbled down the staircase.

Cheato opened his satchel and placed an explosive on one of the gas tanks. He set the timer for six minutes and activated it.

Rippan closed the door at the top of the staircase, retrieved one of the Stormtrooper's blaster rifles, and went back down. Cheato peaked out from behind the gas tanks and Rippan tossed him the weapon. Rippan noticed a squad of Stormtroopers from the top of the other staircase. Although the door had been sealed the Stormtroopers were moving into the room adjacent to it.

Rippan hid behind a gas tank as the imperial officer leading the Stormtroopers stepped into his view at the window.

Cheato set another explosive device on another gas tank.

"Fire!" barked the officer. Blaster fire sprayed onto the glass alloy.

Rippan grimaced and yelled, "Losing time, Cheato! Hurry!"

Cheato set the timer, "Buy me time!"

Rippan watched the Stormtroopers finally blast through the glass and come swarming into the gas chamber. He opened fire on them, dropping two on the stairs and two more that reached the ground floor.

Cheato moved to another tank, set another device and its timer. He heard the officer yell out, "This is Colonel Rom Mohc! Come out with your hands above your heads!"

"Scary," Cheato muttered. He turned when the sealed door exploded, sending the door flying across the chamber. Another squad of Stormtroopers poured in.

Cheato went back to his work and yelled, "Shut the door, Rippan, here's another one!"

No response.

"Rippan?"

Cheato finished setting the explosive and grabbed his blaster rifle. He quietly moved past the tanks and peered around one. He saw two squads of Stormtroopers pointing their rifles at him and Mohc standing above a kneeling Rippan, his blaster pistol pointed at his head.

"Come out here, throw down your weapon, and walk towards me," Mohc paused. "Slowly."

Rippan yelled, "Finish the job, Cheato. Blow them all to hell."

Mohc ignored him and said, "You have ten seconds."

Cheato reached back to the timer and reset it for three minutes—Mohc began counting down.

"Ten... nine... eight..." Cheato dropped his satchel and rifle and started walking back into the open.

Mohc watched him, "Seven... six..."

Cheato came out with his hands up, "Five... four... three... two..."

Again, Rippan yelled, "For the Alliance, Cheato!"

Mohc squeezed the trigger.

Rippan fell.

Cheato dove behind the tanks and the Stormtroopers opened fire.

"Hold your fire!" Mohc screamed. "You'll blow the gas tanks!"

Cheato gritted his teeth and picked up his blaster rifle where he left it.

"This is your last chance," Mohc said. "Come out with your hands above your..."

Cheato moved behind a cart filled with small gas tanks out in the open and stayed behind it. He pushed it slowly across the room.

The Stormtroopers aimed at him. Mohc held up his hand, "Wait!"

Cheato slowly pushed and walked. The Stormtroopers never strayed their aim.

Mohc smiled and watched Cheato.

A Stormtrooper's fingers twitched. He fired.

Sparks flew from the gas tanks but nothing detonated.

Mohc turned around, shot the Stormtrooper, and continued watching Cheato. Cheato resumed pushing until he reached the conveyor belt.

"You can't win," Mohc said.

Cheato flipped on the conveyor belt. Mohc stared. Cheato dove onto the conveyor belt and fired at the shelves of gas tanks on the second floor. The tanks came tumbling down onto the Stormtroopers who snapped off a few shots before being crushed.

* * *

Outside a TIE Fighter revved its engines on the launch pad, a ladder still resting on it.

Cheato tumbled down the conveyor belt and landed on the dry earth below. He spotted the TIE Fighter and ran for it.

A pair of wide blast doors opened in the side of the facility and a squad of Stormtroopers came barging out, blasters blazing. Mohc barked orders from behind them "Get out there! Move! Move it!"

Cheato dove behind armored cargo boxes, laser bolts flying everywhere. He stood up and sprayed back lasers at the Stormtroopers. He dropped six of them and ducked again.

The TIE Fighter was just starting to rise off of the landing pad. Cheato ran for it once more, lasers still bouncing around him.

"Hold your fire!" Mohc called out—two speeder bikes flying past him.

Cheato climbed the ladder and leapt onto the spherical cockpit of the TIE Fighter. He pulled open the hatch and grabbed the pilot. The pilot kicked and flailed. There was a thud and the TIE Fighter slowly moved forward—edging towards a cliff roughly 100 meters away. Cheato pulled him out of the seat. A swoop bike pulled up next to the TIE and Cheato shot him. The Stormtrooper tumbled off of the bike and the bike careened off to the side. It exploded a second later somewhere on the landing pad.

Cheato pulled the pilot out of the TIE and lost his balance. They both tumbled onto the landing pad below. The second swoop bike crashed into the pilot, the Stormtrooper flew off the bike and the pilot's body flew to the side and lay sprawled. Cheato got on the bike, spun it around, and sped toward the still moving TIE Fighter.

Mohc and the Stormtroopers followed until Mohc said, "Wait." He watched Cheato and smiled once more.

Cheato pushed and pushed the throttle to its limit. The TIE Fighter lurched off of the cliff and dove. Cheato followed after it, releasing the bike. All three bodies plummeted towards a rocky, volcanic fissure below. As Cheato fell he never moved his eyes from the falling TIE Fighter. He fell closer and closer to it, until he reached the hatch again. He hoisted himself inside and sat at the controls.

The pit was roughly 100 meters down. Cheato yanked hard on the control stick.

Jammed.

The TIE Fighter fell faster.

Cheato closed his eyes and kept pulling.

Falling.

Cheato stopped pulling. Breathed. Slowly pulled again.

The TIE Fighter dove—

—and skimmed a millimeter above the pit's surface as it veered upward.

The facility detonated in a fiery explosion—pieces of flaming debris went hurling in all directions. The TIE Fighter flew past the wreckage and plotted a course to a rendezvous point with the Rebellion.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—2—

_THREE YEARS LATER..._

A YT-2000 space transport blasted through space. From above it was shaped like one of the Trade Federation's old landing crafts from the Clone Wars on the front but similar to Han Solo's _Millennium Falcon_ in the back. The cockpit and engines were placed on the front center and back center—the same size and shape as Solo's YT-1300 also.

The starship dodged and weaved through the few asteroids in its path. Cheato, the pilot, thumbed on the com to his ship's computer.

"Cheato," said the computer. "Do you have to fly _this_ fast?"

"Yeah."

Cheato threw the ship into a U-turn. He smiled to himself and then checked his rear monitor. Behind his ship there was a Firespray-class patrol ship.

"I like flying as much as the next YT-2000..." said the computer, trailing off when the Firespray flew up right next to Cheato's ship.

The armored figure flying the patrol ship eyed Cheato.

The computer ran an identification check of the Firespray. "I'm unable to identify the ship's title or owner. He or she carries illegal security modifications that are more up to date than mine or my scanners."

"If we survive I'll be sure to see if Alliance High Command can dig up anything," Cheato replied.

"_If_ we survive?"

Cheato watched the patrol craft pass them and accelerated when the Firespray moved in front of him. The Firespray also responded with acceleration until Cheato blasted past him. The Firespray veered to the right—almost clipping two asteroids as it flew between them.

Cheato continued to barrel after the Firespray. The Firespray wobbled back and forth. Cheato chuckled and adjusted his controls—passing by the Firespray. The armored figure and Cheato saw each other and Cheato pulled his ship in front of the other. Cheato checked his rear monitor again—the Firespray didn't shake its pursuit.

Close by, Cheato and the armored figure noticed a Chandrillan mining shuttle was drifting through their path. The computer sent a single buzzing alarm bleat through the cockpit. The Firespray veered hard to the left and spun out of control, drifting far off course.

"Cheato!" said the computer. "Stop it! Enough! I know what you're doing!"

"Yeah?" asked Cheato. "What's that?"

The computer lowered its volume for a moment, "You're just showing off."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just having a pleasant fly."

"You realize I'll die if you crash it?"

"Just relax."

The Firespray caught up to Cheato and came up right behind them.

Up ahead the occupants of the two "duelling" starships saw a cluster of variously classed one-man starships, a two-way steady lane of merchants flowing to and from Chandrilla. Cheato flew side-by-side with the Firespray, dodging more asteroids. Momentarily Cheato gained the lead. The merchant ships began slowing upon seeing the two rapidly approaching starships. The Firespray pulled ahead of Cheato, the armored figure glancing at him as he did it. Cheato didn't slow down and pulled in behind the Firespray. Both ships skimmed pass the two lanes of merchant ships.

The computer raised its volume louder than before, "Stop the ship! _Immediately_!"

Cheato slammed on the brakes and the ship in turn slammed to a stop.

"All you had to do was ask," said Cheato. "Want to stop at the first cantina we see?"

"Very funny," said the computer. "If I had a body—one with legs for that matter—I think I'd rather kick you in the pants than go drinking with you. _Sir_."

"Don't worry. We won't be up here much longer," Cheato responded mock-soothingly.

Through the cockpit viewscreen Cheato saw the blue-glow of the planet Chandrilla and flew the ship toward it. Gently.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—3—

Cheato's ship descended from Chandrilla's night sky and flew over Anoat City. Anoat's gray, slender structures were short compared to most cities on heavily populated planets closer to the center of the galaxy. Entire blocks were occasionally interrupted by plazas containing masses of people and wide fountains surrounded by flower beds. At night the city looked just as live as Coruscant.

Cheato lowered his ship into a docking bay just next to one of these plazas. A human male in a gray and green uniform stepped toward the ships entrance ramp when the ship had landed and its engines powered down. As Cheato descended the ramp, now dressed in black slacks and a dark blue dress shirt, the man took off his hat and bowed his head in a slight nod. Cheato nodded back and the man took to tending to his ship.

To his left, Cheato saw that the Firespray-class patrol craft racing him earlier was docked in this same hangar bay. He smirked and continued walking.

He entered a casino filled with people from all over the galaxy. There were men in Chandrillan noblemen in elaborate suits, Chandrillan noblewomen in exotic dresses, and droids serving drinks. All of them chatted among themselves. The ceiling seemed to be ten meters high and decorative white lights were laced throughout every corner of the room.

A silver-plated 3PO droid announced the winner of a game of sabacc at a nearby table filled with a dozen participants. The same armored figure from the race before sat at that table and took his winnings, his faded green armor barely reflecting the lights around him. He nodded to his one of his opponents, a Twi-lek male, through his T-shaped visor on his helmet. The Twi-lek nodded back, stood up, and left the table.

Once he heard the droid announce they were allowing the entry of new players, Cheato approached the table and sat down in the Twi-lek's place. Cheato sat down across from the armored figure and waited as the droid dealt out the cards. All the players scooped them up when the droid was finished.

"Boba Fett," Cheato said slowly. "It looks like we enjoy the same things."

Fett played his hand, the droid announced that he had the upper hand—an Ace and Eight of Staves.

Cheato pursed his lips and played his cards—a Seven and Three of Sabres. The droid announced Fett as the winner.

"What _things_ are you referring to?" asked Fett.

Cheato smiled. "Neither one of us says no to a challenge."

The cards were reshuffled and dealt. Fett played his cards, a Commander and Ten of Coins, and turned his visored gaze towards Cheato. Cheato stared back and played his cards—a Master and Nine of Flasks. The droid declared Cheato as the winner and programmed the transfer of credits from Fett's account to Cheato's at the table.

Boba Fett nodded to Cheato, "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Words to live by."

Fett stood up and left the table. Cheato followed him and asked, "And which words do you live by exactly?"

Boba Fett turned and stared once more.

Cheato waited for an answer. He waived over a waiter droid and asked for a ruby bliel. He asked Fett, "And for you?"

"Nothing."

"Sure?"

"Do I know you?" asked Fett.

"My name's Cheato."

"And you already know mine."

"I know. Everyone in the whole blasted room knows. Is your accent Corellian?"

"No."

"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" Cheato said absently, "I've been to Corellia. Occasional shoot out."

"Where I'm from there are no random shoot outs. The only blaster fire there is is controlled and methodical. Perfect."

"Are their starships just as perfect?"

"If only they were as they used to be. They've long since fallen from grace. Mine, on the other hand, is much better."

"So how did you get your ship registered for landing clearance on a planet like Chandrilla, Fett?"

Fett paused, "And what rank do you hold with Chandrilla security, Cheato?"

"Commander," the Rodian replied.

A buzz came from Boba Fett's wrist controls. Boba Fett glanced at it and turned back to Cheato, "I'm being contacted by a Chandrillan admiral at this very moment."

"Rank pulling," Cheato puckered mouth twitched. "Very nice."

"It was nice meeting you, Cheato," Fett turned and left.

Cheato frowned, "Likewise."

* * *

Outside of the casino was an outdoor theatre overflowing with a laughing and murmuring audience. Two theatre droids stood on the stage—one in a black uniform and the other in a red uniform. The black droid held a rose, pretended to smell it, and put it in the hand of the red droid. The black droid waved its hand in front of the red droid's optical sensors and the red droid turned to it. The black droid then gestured to a woman sitting in the front of the audience. The red droid wobbled over to her, bent over, and handed her the rose. Everyone clapped.

Cheato walked through one of the aisles away from the stage, scanning the area. When Cheato reached the end he saw a seaport. There he spotted two Chandrillan military officials gazing out across the sea. Cheato looked out and saw Fett's Firespray patrol ship, the _Slave I_, dock on a landing pad adjacent to luxury yacht. Boba Fett descended his landing ramp, met with a short middle-aged man with gray hair, and both began walking towards the yacht.

Cheato retrieved modified electrobinoculars from his coat and zoomed in on Boba Fett and the old man. They both made their way past a few chatting Chandrillan officials and stepped into a small boat. Cheato snapped a picture. He spotted the name _"__Krayt" _on the side of the small boat. Cheato put the electrobinoculars back into his coat. The boat sped off towards the yacht and Cheato left.

Cheato walked back to his starship in the landing bay, paused, and looked back to the yacht on the sea. From the night sky descended a ship that resembled the sideways-L shape of a Nebulon-B Frigate but was twice the size and long end of it was stretched to a sharp point. The ship lowered until it hovered just above the yacht's landing pad.

Cheato stepped back inside his ship, went to the cockpit, and pressed a switch on the controls. The computer screen lit up with the pictures he captured with the modified electrobinoculars. The pictures were accompanied by text.

A human male's voice spoke through the com, "Transmission begins from Tsen. Identification confirmed. Fett, Boba. Bounty Hunter. Current suspected links to the Vaapad Crime Syndicate as well as the Empire. Yacht _Krayt_ is leased to a known Vaapad corporate front. Mon Mothma authorizes you to observe Boba Fett but stipulates no... contact without prior approval. End transmission. Tsen."

Cheato smiled.

Tsen's transmission finished, "Good luck, Cheato. I trust you'll stay on top of things."

* * *

Boba Fett leapt on top of the admiral, sending him crashing onto the floor of his cabin. One solid blow from his fist met the admiral's jaw, along with two jabs to the stomach. His hand wrapped around the admiral's neck and lifted him up only to throw him back down. The admiral clawed at Fett's chest plate as Fett continued to pin him to the yacht office's floor. Both of Fett's hands clasped around the admiral's neck. The man sputtered, gargled, and his face turned red. Sweat and saliva poured from his face.

Someone in the shadows of the room reached into a drawer and found the admiral's identification card, took it, and left.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—4—

A small boat sped away from the _Krayt_, leaving behind a single gray-uniformed Imperial maintenance officer. After the officer made his way alongside the ship, Cheato climbed up over the side of the _Krayt_ and stepped through a pair of transparisteel doors. Cheato stepped inside and examined the burgundy room. There were some white leather chairs, a vase of red and violet flowers on a small table, and a curtained window. Cheato stepped up to the window and spotted the same small boat from before speeding away.

In the reflection of the window Cheato saw, from the stairs to the lower deck, the Imperial maintenance officer rushing at him—a stun baton in his hand. Cheato tore the curtains from the windows and whipped them across the officer's face. The officer, unrelenting, swung again and Cheato blocked with the outstretched curtains, grasped the baton, and shoved it into the officer's face. Cheato then wrapped the curtains around the officer's head and threw him down the stairs.

Cheato wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm.

* * *

Outside on the deck of the yacht, _Carkoon_, music was playing on the docks and rows of landspeeders steadily drove towards the yacht, each speeder full of nobles, politicians, and scientists.

Out in the crowd, the one who stole the admiral's identification card handed the card to a contact. The contact gave this figure another card.

A band of twelve musicians played on a stage. Among the crowd watching them, was one admiral that saluted another and said, "My respects, admiral." The second admiral saluted the first one back. The admirals dropped their hands.

A tan man with short black hair in a simple blue uniform stood by the second admiral's side. The first admiral turned to him, "Welcome aboard."

The second admiral whispered to the dark-haired man, "You know what to do, Fett."

An Imperial officer stepped from the inside of the _Carkoon_ and onto the stage and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats on the upper deck for the demonstration of the war droids."

* * *

Cheato kicked open a door and entered into the room with his blaster pistol drawn. Nothing hostile. He stepped in and examined a wooden cabinet. He opened it and found food provisions. He moved on and found a bedroom. He stepped in, looked around again, and opened the closet door. Inside were robes, clothes, uniforms, and a cold stiff body that fell to the floor with a thunk. Cheato examined the body; a short middle-aged man with graying hair who stared at the ceiling with open-mouthed horror.

* * *

Cheato dove off of the side of the _Krayt_ onto a smaller boat. He moved to the controls and started the engine. He adjusted several levers and the boat propelled forward. He drove the boat at a rapid pace toward the _Carkoon_.

* * *

"What you are about to see is Empire's answer to the Rebellion's guerilla tactics," said the Imperial Officer to his audience. As he spoke he stood in front of a hulking armored black droid the size of a bantha on the yacht's landing strip. Its body type resembled a Stormtrooper but it was outfitted with enormous cannons on its shoulders and a large blaster cannon in its hands. "The first working prototype of Phase Three of the Dark Trooper Project. Uniquely programmable, the Phase Three Dark Trooper is not only equipped with a large handheld assault laser cannon and two shoulder-mounted seeker missile launchers, but it is also the only war droid to be hardened against all forms of energy weapons—even the near extinct lightsaber. The suit is also equipped with a highly advanced communications unit that allows its inhabiter to communicate and command any Dark Trooper unit in any squadron."

* * *

An Imperial pilot in his traditional black uniform walked through a hall in the _Carkoon_. With his black flight helmet in his hand he checked his chrono on the other.

The pilot passed a darkened hall. Boba Fett peered out from the shadows—still in his blue uniform. He lifted a blaster pistol and shot the pilot in the back. The pilot fell to the floor, a smoking hole in his back. Swapping flight suits with him, Fett donned the helmet and stepped out onto the landing strip.

The officer speaking of the Phase Three Dark Trooper announced, "Now please welcome the pilot, Lieutenant Chen Letlin!" The audience applauded and Fett waved cheerfully back at them. Fett thumbed a switch on the side of the Dark Trooper and both the chest and head lifted up and over the war droid's back—revealing a black leather seat inside surrounded by blinking controls. Fett climbed inside the droid and flipped several switches. The Dark Trooper's systems thrummed to life—the audience's clapping and applauding grew louder.

Cheato ran up the boarding ramp to the yacht. There was a burst of flame and then gouts of smoke as the Dark Trooper fired its repulsor pack and lifted slowly skyward. Cheato pushed his way through the audience. He shoved the officer aside and ran across the landing strip.

The Dark Trooper lifted higher.

Cheato continued to run for it until he was tackled and shoved against a wall by two officers—a third pointing a blaster pistol at him. The Dark Trooper armor blasted away from the yacht, past the sparkling city, over the arbor, and across the sea. Cheato watched it leave—the audience continued to applaud and watch the distant war droid in fascination.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—5—

A fire burned in a forest on the planet Balmorra. A scout trooper mounted on a swoop bike blew past it. The bike continued on its way to an Imperial weapons facility just approaching one of the half dozen huts littering the base's area. A single rectangular building the size of a factory sat in the middle of it all, dozens of Stormtroopers squads patrolled the base.

A bunker sat a quarter of a mile from the base. Twenty meters underground dwelled an even larger Imperial weapons facility. In an immense room, easily the size of the factory on the surface, were poles hanging from the ceiling. Each pole branched out sideways into four more poles at the bottom and at the end of each were the viewscreens of security cameras monitoring the surface. Stormtroopers stayed clear of this area—though they patrolled the hallways outside of the room and two stood at the only hallway that led deeper into the bunker. At one end of the room was a viewscreen that nearly took up the entire wall that displayed the galaxy. Along the viewscreen's edges were a dozen smaller viewscreens producing graphs and charts of weapons manufacturing on other Imperial controlled worlds. Throughout the room were dozens of Imperial computer engineers dressed in black uniforms and helmets monitoring the droid-controlled aspects of the facility's weapons production.

"Select Kessel," said one of the engineers—staring at his desk's viewscreen of the galaxy. "Autographic projection." His blue eyes looked over his screen as it zoomed in closer to a planet on the shifted from one planet to another—he scratched at one of his pointed ears and glanced over at the engineer to his right.

"Compute possible intercept with second stage space-sat two." After saying this a cartoon gungan giving the thumbs up popped up on his viewscreen. The gungan was followed by a cartoon head of the engineer seated next to him. Next to the head appeared the text "Enter Password". The engineer sighed and stared to the one on the right—the one with unkempt brown hair and kept thumping a stylus on his cheek while pretending not to notice.

The engineer looked behind his chair and at the man working behind him, "Aran?"

Aran looked up from his desk and the engineer showed him the cartoons on his viewscreen. He smirked, "A gungan? That's probably what he sees in the mirror every day, Lahid."

The engineer, Lahid, laughed. "Rix?"

Rix continued to bounce the stylus on his face and pretended like he was working.

"Rix!"

Rix turned at him sharply, "What?"

Lahid motioned with his eyes at his viewscreen. Rix smiled mischievously, "You think I should post it on the holonet?"

"What's the password?" asked Lahid.

"I made it easy this time. Even you should be able to break it, poodoo-for-brains." Rix rolled his chair of next Lahid's, "All right, I'll give you a hint. They're all around you and are awful at their jobs."

The engineer entered "Stormtroopers" as the password. Rix giggled and the engineer sighed, "You're a nerfherder."

Rix's desk started beeping. Rix slid back over, "Yes! I'm in."

Lahid stood up and walked over to Rix's viewscreen. He saw dozens of lines of military and intelligence information pouring across the screen. "You've hacked into the Rebel Alliance's military database," Lahid said, frowning. "Do you know what will happen if they trace it here?"

"The chief of engineering will call me a genius, move me to Coruscant, and give me a million credits," Rix said. "Or not. There's nothing to worry about, the Rebels are outer rim backwater idiots. They'll never detect me."

The information pouring froze and the words "Unauthorized Access Detected" appeared in bold red font across the viewscreen.

"You were saying?" smirked Lahid.

Rix gritted his teeth and began typing furiously, "Nobody messes with Rix Danime!" He opened a command prompt and entered "Send Spike". A moment after the spike was confirmed as sent.

"Come on, Rix, just abort it," said Lahid.

"No way! I spiked them!" Rix brought up another command prompt that read "Initiate Search Program: Enter Password".

Rix looked at Lahid and smiled.

"All right," Lahid gave in and smiled back. "What's the password?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Okay. Let me guess," Lahid rested his elbow on the desk. "Am I surrounded by them?"

Rix shook his head, "All it takes is one good shot to take one down." He typed in a series of blocked letters: ***********. The viewscreen drew a red point on Balmorra in a galaxy map and began tracing a red line from point-to-point, planet-to-planet across the galaxy. "My program seizes the HP address of whoever is tracing me and jams their transmission so they can't shut it off."

"Now the hunted becomes the hunter," Rix said as the last red point stopped on a planet in the Hoth system. A prompt popped up that read "ALLIANCE HQ; HOLONET EXPERT DIVISION". Rix sent them a message that read: "Better luck next time, idiots." Rix turned to Lahid, "Not bad, huh?"

Lahid turned and left, "I'm getting some caf."

Rix smiled, "I'm going for a death stick."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—6—

The door to the bunker slid open and Rix stepped outside, the numerous factories and weapons facilities loomed behind him. He smiled to himself, reached in his pocket, and pulled out a carton of death sticks. A sudden gust of wind blew the carton out of his hand, lights splayed down on him and he looked up as the wind blew harder. A large man-shaped machine descended upon him accompanied by an Imperial Lambda-class shuttle. The man-shaped machine's black armor and bristling with heavy energy and artillery weapons. Rix held up his hands to keep the light and the wind from his face. The noise was deafening as the machine finally set its feet upon the landing zone just outside the bunker. The engines of the man-machine and the shuttle began whining as they powered down. When the wind started to subside Rix lowered his hand and watched as the machine opened up and a man in Mandalorian battle armor jumped out. The Mandalorian hefted up a blaster rifle around his shoulder. From the shuttle an Imperial admiral in the usual uniformed gray accompanied by a long coat descended from the landing ramp.

* * *

Inside the bunker was a kitchen. It had a pantry with cupboards, and the counters were littered with fruits, boxes, and pans.

Lahid took from the refresher some blue milk and set it on the counter, preparing some tea instead of caf.

* * *

Boba Fett and the Imperial admiral descended the stairs from the entrance and deeper into the bunker. They walked several meters through a hallway before coming to a sealed transparisteel door with a control panel on the wall.

The admiral spoke to the panel, "Admiral Rom Mohc. Head of the Dark Trooper Project."

The panel made a confirming beep. The doors opened and they both entered the monitoring room.

An Imperial major approached them quickly, fumbling to get his hat back on his head. When he reached Mohc and Fett he saluted.

"Admiral," he began. "If I'd known—"

"You'd have been ready," Mohc interrupted. "This is an unscheduled test of the Balmorra Weapon and Observation Facility number 1138. War simulation."

Mohc scanned the room, "We're going to to perform a weapons test of the Dark Troopers. Report your status."

"Two dozen operation units, sir," replied the major. "Alpha and Beta, both squadrons in respective warehouses three and seven."

"Good," said Mohc, handing the major a keycard. "Here is the authorization code. Now the Dark Trooper's and today's access numbers for both warehouses three and seven, please." Mohc checked his chronometer, "I'm timing you."

The Imperial major saluted again and turned toward a wide array of control panels and monitors in the center of the large room. He slid the keycard through one of the panels and laid his hand on a monitor. A red beam moved back and forth across the monitor, reading his palm print. The panel ejected another keycard. The officer slid the new keycard through the same panel and a one meter diameter hole opened across the room, opposite the huge viewscreen. Inside sat two more keycards, but these were gold in color, and also a square disc. The major retrieved all three items.

* * *

In the kitchen, Lahid watched this transaction between the Mandalorian and the two officers suspiciously from the transparisteel door.

* * *

The major handed all three items to Mohc. After taking them, Mohc checked his chronometer.

"Good," Mohc said. "Thank you, major."

From behind Mohc came a single clicking sound. Mohc turned aside and Boba Fett, blaster carbine drawn, fired into the control room. The major and another officer fell and the room erupted into screams. Fett turned and blasted a Stormtrooper into a smoldering pile.

* * *

Lahid, seeing the carnage, threw himself against the wall—his mug of tea falling and shattering on the floor. His breathing turned into sudden pants.

* * *

Everyone in the room panicked, stood from their desks, and ran for the nearest exits. Boba Fett fired at them, not missing a single target, his black visor lighting up red with each blast. He let off the trigger, stepped forward, and examined the room. Both Fett and Mohc noted that everyone in the room had been shot and killed—not a single body stirred. They both walked to the central control array—where Mohc eyed a briefcase sitting on one of the desks. Mohc slid the square disc into a slot in the center panel and the panel slowly sucked it in. Mohc handed Fett one of the gold keycards.

"On my count," Mohc said. "Three, two, one..." At the same time Fett and Mohc slid the keycards into their respective slots.

The massive viewscreen across from them on the wall lit up. The entire galaxy displayed itself before them and a grid appeared across it—denoting distances and trade routes.

Mohc handed Fett a keycard and said, "Set target: Balmorra Weapon and Observation Facility number 1138."

Fett typed in these commands into the controls after sliding the keycard through them. A blip on the large viewscreen appeared at their exact location.

"Power up the units," said Mohc. Fett typed in more commands as did Mohc. After a flick of a few more switches Mohc turned one final red lever.

* * *

Through vidscreens Fett saw in warehouses three and seven 50 meter wide durasteel doors rolling up and revealing a dozen Phase Two Dark Troopers in each one.

Twenty-four blips appeared on another viewscreen. Fett typed.

The Dark Troopers buzzed and whirred, their optical sensors flaring to life in greens, yellows, and reds.

Across the control panel in front of Mohc the viewscreen read: UNITS ACTIVATED. Mohc turned to the larger viewscreen.

Both Mohc and Fett turned as clinking noises came from the kitchen.

"Check it!" Mohc hissed at Fett.

Fett moved to the kitchen, reloading his blaster carbine.

* * *

Lahid saw this and ran away from the kitchen's transparisteel door.

* * *

As Fett made his way to the kitchen a dying engineer reached up to his desk and pressed an alarm. The alarm echoed throughout the observation station and Fett whirled. One shot later the man was dead.

* * *

In the kitchen, Lahid ducked his head in reflex. He scanned the kitchen and found a ventilation grate in the ceiling. He grabbed a stool, stood on it, and pulled at the grate.

* * *

"Their best response time is nineteen minutes. They'll be late," said Mohc dryly. Fett turned back toward the kitchen.

From a monitor, Mohc watched another outpost on Balmorra—the Space Defense outpost to be exact—alarms buzzed throughout it, three Imperial pilots in black uniforms dashed through a darkened hallway and out into the open where their TIE Fighters waited on a landing zone.

Boba Fett entered the kitchen and examined it. His helmet read the broken material on the ground as ceramic and the spilled tea imported from Naboo. He looked at the stool below the vent. He raised his blaster carbine without hesitation and fired several times into it.

Outside the kitchen, in the control room, Mohc placed the disc and both gold keycards into the briefcase sitting on the desk and closed it.

Fett came from the kitchen and Mohc joined him in his walk back to the bunker entrance. "It's clean," said Fett. "I had to execute one survivor."

Mohc watched through the monitor as the Dark Troopers from warehouses three and seven approached the bunker.

Fett and Mohc quickly left the bunker and climbed inside the Dark Trooper Phase Three—Mohc was making himself comfortable in a hidden transportation compartment behind Fett's pilot seat. The suit lifted off—flying across the buildings about the area; abandoning the the shuttle, the landing zone, and the bodies in the bunker.

* * *

The three TIE Fighters lifted from the Space Defense outpost's landing zone and soared into the sky.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—7—

The Mon Calamari Star Cruiser _Home One_ drifted through space far, far away at the edge of the galaxy. It was surrounded by a rebel fleet consisting of Nebulon-B frigates, troop transports, and multiple starfighters. Inside Cheato walked through its halls until he came to an office adorned with books, a desk, and blotched abstract paintings. A man with frizzled black hair and a worn Alliance uniform stood above the desk looking at durasheet documents.

"Good evening, Tsen," Cheato said.

Tsen looked up. "Good evening, Cheato."

Tsen stepped away from his disk and began walking out of the room, "Chief of State Mon Mothma will meet you in the briefing room. I'll take you in."

Cheato turned to follow Tsen and he walked back out the door and into the hallway. Cheato said to him, "I've never seen you up this late. Working on another Alliance assignment?"

Tsen entered his own personal office. It looked exactly like the other except this one was considerably smaller. He picked up a few more documents and continued out down the hall.

"You'll likely find this disappointing, Cheato," Tsen replied. "But I don't meditate on the Force and look for danger so I can run it down here to deliver it to you. But I will have you know I had a vision of Coruscant during the time of the Old Republic. There were many Jedi there."

Tsen stopped before a control panel and a durasteel door. He punched in a code.

"Interesting," said Cheato.

The door slid open and both entered.

"I sense something is on your mind?" asked Tsen.

Cheato paused, "Not particularly."

"Well should you ever know you can speak with me."

They both stopped before another door that Tsen opened. "After you, Cheato."

When Cheato stepped into the briefing room it was full of exhausted Alliance personnel sitting at desks with computers. A Mon Calamari stood at the viewscreen at the end of the room depicting the galaxy.

The Mon Calamari turned to Cheato and said, "Good evening, Cheato."

"Admiral Ackbar," Cheato acknowledged.

Ackbar turned back to the viewscreen and gestured to it. "Sixteen minutes ago we intercepted a distress call from an Imperial observation and weapons facility on Balmorra. And here's what we've extracted from the Holonet."

On the viewscreen appeared the outpost on Balmorra. A large man's—possibly a droid's—shaped shadow appeared on a nearby landing zone.

"We found a match to that shape," said Ackbar. "Your missing Phase Three Dark Trooper."

"Makes sense you found it on an Imperial world dedicated to energy weapons, military vehicles, and military starships," Cheato noted.

"It seems your assessment is correct," said Ackbar. "Now we just have to hope the Chief of State will let you look into it."

"You were saying?"  
Cheato and Ackbar turned to see Mon Mothma, a red headed human female wearing white Chandrillan noble garb.

Cheato's visage turned upright into a Rodian smile.

"Good evening, Cheato," Mon Mothma said.

"Good evening, Chief of State."

"Proceed with your briefing, Admiral Ackbar," Mon Mothma said.

Ackbar nodded, "Thank you."

The Mon Calamari turned back to the viewscreen, "After the distress signal, the Phase Three suit left the area. The Imperials scrambled three TIE Fighters here—" Ackbar pointed to three I-shaped blips on the viewscreen, "—to intercept it."

"Is there anything else the Imperials using the base for?" Cheato asked.

"At one point, we suspected it might be the station performing a secret robotics-based weapons program called the Dark Trooper Project. With the resurgence of this partially robotic suit that theory appears to be true," Ackbar replied.

Mon Mothma spoke, "Our analysis saw they had neither the finance nor technology to implement it."

Cheato smiled, "The odds are rarely on my side either. Is this viewscreen showing live feed?"

"Unlike those that rely on it, we prefer not to get bad news from the Holonet," said Mon Mothma.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—8—

At the observation station's kitchen the ceiling ventilation grate still smoldered. There was a creek from one of the cupboards as Lahid crawled out from one of them.

* * *

The three TIE Fighters zoomed over the mountains of Balmorra, closer to the distressed observation station.

Beta Two, one of the three pilots in the three TIE Fighters headed towards the Balmorra station, watched as his squad leader pulled ahead of the rest. The observation station came into sight along with the large rectangular weapons factory and the smaller huts surrounding it.

As they blew over it Beta Two said, "Negative so far. Everything is normal."

He checked his radar and saw a man shaped blip. Beta Two spoke again, "Beta Leader? Reporting a Dark Trooper model of some kind. Neither a Phase One or a Phase Two. The computer doesn't recognize it."

* * *

Lahid heard the sound of a beeping alarm echoing throughout the observation station's bunker, a red light flashed in the main control room. He stared around at the dozen fallen bodies of the people he used to work with. Flimpsiplast documents, spilled caf, and blood was everywhere.

A louder alarm started—one repeating whistling sound. Lahid looked up. He saw three blips on the main viewscreen headed towards the station. He looked down toward one of the consoles and read on it: TIME TO TARGET. At the bottom of those words was a timer with four seconds remaining.

Four, three...

He gritted his teeth.

Two, one...

He ducked his head.

* * *

The Dark Troopers finished their march to the observation station and stood with the wind whirling around them. They stood still, lights blinking off of their bodies and weapons. Statues in a museum. Pieces on a holochess board.

The patrolling Stormtroopers close enough to see them stopped and stared at them curiously.

All at once they raised their weapons and fired. Lasers and missiles flew off in different directions but all of them centered and aimed perfectly. Lasers tore apart the bodies of patrolling Stormtroopers and missiles blew apart bunkers, warehouses, and factories—even the Lambda-class shuttle on the landing pad.

* * *

Lahid, surrounded by fire and sparks, the ground quaking violently beneath him, stood up, dashed across the control room, and leapt underneath the staircase leading the kitchen. The kitchen detonated in a fiery explosion—littering the main control room with giant, blackened chunks of debris. The viewscreen shattered, glass flying in every direction. The quad-linked monitors on the ceiling sparked and exploded, adding more glass to the devastation. Several adjoining offices erupted into flame at the same time the primary control panel in the observation room did.

Lahid screamed.

* * *

The viewscreen in _Home One_'s briefing room showed several explosions lighting up the area of the Imperial observation and heavy weapons factory—then the entire area was a blackened, hulking ruin.

An object flew from the wreckage, a trail of vapor behind it. The viewscreen winked out and turned into static.

Mon Mothma, Ackbar, and Cheato stared.

Ackbar turned to the Chief of State, "What was _that_?"

* * *

The Dark Troopers, unseen by the radars of Beta Squadron, hustled over the debris and flames surrounding them, and stepped into the surrounding fields and mountains away from the wreckage of the observation station.

* * *

The three TIE Fighters of Beta Squadron made a U-turn and continued on a new trajectory toward the observation station.

There were two brief flashes of light from the darkened ground.

WARHEAD LOCK appeared on the screen of Beta Two's HUD—just one second before the missile hit his ship. The missile's collision explosion blew apart his starboard solar panel. This sent the TIE tumbling to starboard right into Beta Three's TIE Fighter. Both blew apart brightly in Balmorra's night sky.

The second missile detonated prematurely above Beta Leader's fighter—this sent his ship careening towards the ruins of the observation station. His TIE hit the surface, tumbling and bouncing like a skipping stone across the ground. The ship hit one of the buildings, crushing it into nothing, pieces of debris rising up and blossoming into the dirt on the ground. The TIE tumbled through another small building before it connected with the large factory. The explosives inside the weapons factory detonated. The entire radius of the base was engulfed in red flames.

* * *

The ground shook even harder and the engineer screamed again. He leapt up from underneath the kitchen staircase and bolted across the control room. He tripped on a chunk of the ceiling and tumbled onto the floor. A group of quad-linked monitors snapped from their cables in the ceiling and fell—stopping a tenth of a meter above his body.

The engineer stared at the cracked and shattered monitors. He could only hear himself panting.

* * *

The weapons facility was completely emptied out after the previous explosion from the TIE Fighter wreck. The roof still held together. Several cracks formed and the support columns to the building shuddered.

* * *

Lahid found the body of Aran lying on the floor as if he were asleep. Aran's body was surrounded by blackened debris and blood trickled from his mouth. He took a tarp from a nearby storage container and placed it over Aran's body. He stared at him for a few minutes before sitting back and staring even longer into nothing. He looked around the room. There was only fire, ash, and bodies. He walked to the once-transparisteel gate—now there was only the durasteel grid of the gate and glass littering the floor. The control panel on the wall at the opposite side of the gate was crumpled and sparking.

"Engineer Lahid," he said to the device.

It started smoking.

Lahid grabbed the gate's frame and screamed at the device, _"__ENGINEER LAHID!"_

A cloud clang came from the observation room's ceiling behind him. He turned and looked up. He stepped back into the observation room and looked around—more clanging came from the ceiling but from all different directions. He kept listening and looking until he saw several ventilation grates in the ceiling next to one of the broken quad-linked monitors. He looked around again for a ladder. He began walking to the storage room.

The entire ceiling came down in a flaming wreck, crushing the remaining desks and bodies scattered all over the observation room. Lahid ducked into a hallway and waited for the thunderous noise to finish. After the sounds had subsided he stared at the wreckage. Criss-crossed durasteel beams had fallen in with the weapons factory above. The beams resembled a ladder that led through the newly-opened hole in the ceiling.

* * *

Above the entire base burned ceaselessly, no building left untouched. From the burning wreckage of the weapons factory climbed Lahid, panting, covered in even more soot and ash than he had been in the bunker. When he finally got his feet on the ground he observed the damage around him—nothing but endless fields of fire and ruined structures. He picked a direction and began walking and stumbling, calling out, "Rix! Rix!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—9—

"Received," Admiral Ackbar thumbed the desk com, ending the conversation. He looked up from his desk at the viewscreen, a map of the galaxy displayed on it. "Our drone is knocked out. So are the _Independence_'s and the _Liberty_'s. The _Defiance_'s is coming into range... now."

The viewscreen opposite the first one blinked back to life. Ackbar joined Mon Mothma and Cheato who were already observing it. The wreckage of the area left no structures standing but the area was bright from the burning wreckage.

"Force be with us," Ackbar muttered. He examined another monitor, "Two of the TIEs are down."

"And it looks like the third went into the weapons factory," Mon Mothma said, squinting at the larger viewscreen. She turned to Cheato, "What do you think?"

"No heat signatures," said Cheato. "At least nothing the body temperature of a human within a 50 kilometer radius. Droids?"

Ackbar nodded, "Perfect aim from a droid would account for the TIEs and drones."

"And the blackout?" Cheato asked.

Ackbar answered, "A Dark Trooper Phase Two class warhead. A heavy infantry grade weapon developed just at the beginning of the Galactic Civil War."

Mon Mothma nodded, "I recall reading the brief on the Dark Trooper Project. Discovered after the Clone Wars. The robotic soldiers laid waste to Tak Base on the planet Talay. Each of the droids is equipped with a jumppack, an assault cannon loaded with concussion missiles and plasma shells. Usually they're sent to a target via hyperspace pods or dropped off simply from their factory mothership, the _Arc Hammer_."

"The idea was to enhance the infantry of the Empire with advanced weapons. Instead they became full-fledged droids programmed with the same strategies that the Empire trained into their Stormtroopers," said Ackbar.

Mon Mothma paused, looking at both Ackbar and Cheato, "So the Dark Trooper Project has been resurrected?"

"Yes," answered Cheato.

"Could this be an internal hardware malfunction?" asked Mon Mothma.

"No," replied Cheato again. "The Phase Three Dark Trooper. If you wanted to steal the Dark Troopers its the perfect method. It was designed to command the entire army of Dark Troopers available to the Empire from the pilot within from virtually anywhere. Eliminating the entire base was a way to wipe out any trace of the crime."

"The Vaapad Group?" asked Mon Mothma.

"It may have been involved with the Phase Three," said Cheato. He turned to examine one of the monitors, "I'm familiar with Balmorran Imperial fail safe systems. You don't just walk in and ask for the keys to the weapons facility. You need the access codes."

Cheato pressed a control and the monitor, which was already showing the wreckage of the observation station, zoomed in closer to the weapons facility ruin.

He continued looking over the area, "There had to be an insider."

With a few more touches he found the heat signature of a humanoid walking through the fiery wreckage of the base.

Cheato's eyes narrowed, "At least one person probably knows who it is."

* * *

Lahid collapsed into mud. He looked hopelessly at the smoldering wreckage behind him. He heard the whining of an engine and looked ahead. The sound came from somewhere roughly 10 meters ahead in a cluster of trees. Lahid stood and rushed to it and found a speeder bike sitting, tilted on the ground, unmanned though activated.

* * *

"Very well. Thank you," Mon Mothma said through the com on her office's desk aboard _Home One_, the glass cupboards shining behind her. The room was made from finished wood, framed quotes of diplomats in the old Republic Senate decorated the walls, and the room was filled with white furniture. A single viewport was displayed on the wall, stars beyond it.

She deactivated the com, "Our insider has talked with Balmorra's Imperial Chief of Engineering. They say it was an accident during a routine training exercise."

"Governments change," Cheato said, sitting in the chair across from Mon Mothma's desk. "The lies stay the same."

"What do we know about the Vaapad Syndicate?" Mon Mothma asked Cheato. She moved over to the viewport and looked out into space.

"Top-tier arms dealers," replied Cheato. "Headquartered on Nar Shaddaa. The prime source of weaponry handed to mercenaries hired by the Hutts. The leader's unreliably described, no images of him. The bounty hunter, Fett, is our only confirmed contact."

"Would you care for a drink?" Mon Mothma asked.

"Thank you," Cheato nodded. "Any Corellian liqour?"

Mon Mothma reached into one of the cupboards, "I prefer whiskey. Ice?"

"Yes."

Mon Mothma put ice in two glasses and filled them both with Corellian whiskey. She gave Cheato one and said, "We've retrieved data on anyone who had access or authority at Balmorra. At the top of the list is a friend of yours, I understand."

Mon Mothma sat down at her desk, pressed some controls, and a viewscreen appeared on the wall behind her. The viewscreen displayed the name an image of Admiral Rom Mohc.

"Mohc," said Cheato. "They made him an Admiral."

"He sees himself as the equivalent as the designer of the next big Imperial project since the Death Star," said Mon Mothma. "Which is why those of us who used to work in the Republic Senate shudder at his name. However he doesn't fit the profile for the leader of Vaapad."

Cheato sipped his whiskey, "Did these former senators also believe that the Dark Trooper Project was extinct? Who said the Dark Trooper Phase Three was a fluke and wasn't worth following?"

Mon Mothma also sipped, "You don't like me, Cheato? You don't approve of my methods? Do you think the other former senators and I are merely accountants now? One more interested in numbers than your instincts?"

"I thought about it," said Cheato.

"Good," Mon Mothma said. "Because I think you're a reckless, damaged loner. A relic of the Empire's birth whose farmboy innocence, not completely erased, appeal to the man I sent to evaluate you psychologically and emotionally."

"Point taken."

"Not quite, Cheato," Mon Mothma continued. "If you think my conscience forbids me from sending a man out to die then your instincts are entirely wrong. I have only some remorse about sending you to your death. But I won't do it on a whim. Even with your disconnected attitude towards your life."

Mon Mothma leaned in, "I want you to find the Dark Trooper Project. Find who took it, what they plan to do with it, and stop it. And if you should come across Mohc, guilty or not, I don't want you running off on some kind of vendetta. Avenging Rippan Torn will not bring him back."

Cheato's mouth closed tightly before speaking, "You didn't get him killed."

"Neither did you. Don't make it personal."

Cheato paused and took another drink, "Never." He stood up and walked to the door.

"Cheato?" Mon Mothma asked. He stopped and turned. She looked at him, "Come back alive." He blinked, turned, and left. She smiled and moved onto other work.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—10—

The spires that covered Nar Shaddaa glistened brighter than usual tonight. In plazas and cantinas scattered all over the Smuggler's Moon were thousands of people from thousands of species cheering over the annual Galactic Swoop Bike races in stands around the tracks or through a viewscreen or holovid. The races took place from here to everywhere; from the criminal underground recesses of Coruscant, to the barren wastes of Tatooine.

In one such plaza was one of these races; swoop bike riders dashing through tunnels with lethal twists and turns. The riders desperately tried to pull ahead of one another—occasionally slamming another racer into walls, turning their opponents into molten slag heaps. Over the racing tunnels stood the cylindrical palace of Jabba the Hutt, its lighted and domed roof twinkling even against the vaster cityscape horizon around it.

Jabba watched the race with his wide, slitted eyes from a wall-sized window on one of the higher floors, his bloated, pudgy body convulsing in joy every time a bike exploded.

In the aftermath of another explosion Jabba sighed with contentment, checked a chronometer on the wall, and slithered around back to a collection of other Hutts behind him. There were a dozen of them, all in varying sizes but just as bloated and warty as he was. A silver protocol droid stood among them. As Jabba approached it it stood more rigid. The Hutts sat in a rough circle in a room with maroon rugs with gold trim, blob-shaped white sculptures in every corner, and dark green marble pillars lining the walls from floor to ceiling. When Jabba finally reached the circle there was a knock at the door. They all turned to look.

The duracrete door slid up and in entered Admiral Rom Mohc, dressed in his usual award-and-medal-studded Imperial uniform. He ran his hand through his short gray hair when he approached the Hutts.

Jabba spoke in Huttese, his protocol droid translating for him in a static robotic voice, "Good morning, Admiral Mohc".

"The gracious and exalted Jabba the Hutt," Mohc bowed his head to Jabba first and then to the others. "Gentlebeings of courteousness."

Jabba spoke again and the droid translated, "Please deliver your report."

Mohc began, "As this council is aware, 72 hours ago, a secret weapons development entitled the Dark Trooper Project, was activated and destroyed an Imperial Weapons Facility on Balmorra. As former head of the project, I personally undertook the investigation. I have concluded this crime was committed by Imperial separatists seeking to turn the blame to organizations such as yourself."

The Hutts looked at each other, tails and eyes twitching in aggravation.

Mohc continued, "Regrettably, the astounding work and hard currency earnings of Imperial weapons development on Balmorra have been set back by several years. Therefore, I'm considering my resignation."

The Hutts muttered, wide-eyed at this rumination. Jabba smiled, touching his fingers together, and spoke in his deep voice. The droid stuttered, "It seems the council does not want your head, Rom Mohc." At this Mohc bowed his ahead again in thanks and Jabba's droid continued while the Hutt spoke, "Merely your assurance that there are no other activated Dark Trooper units."

"I can give you that assurance, splendid Jabba," replied Mohc.

"Then what of the two missing Imperial engineers?"

Mohc stared back at Jabba and turned pale, "I was aware only of the one: Rix Danime."

"There was another humanoid also, whose body was not among the dead. He simply went by the name 'Lahid'. A level-two engineer _and_ technician."

"I will investigate immediately, almighty Jabba," Mohc spoke coldly.

Jabba smiled again as he again rumbled, his droid hurrying to catch up with him, "It would seem presumptuous to blame this incident on Imperial separatists before the whereabouts of your people are determined. Do you agree?"

Mohc paused, "Yes, powerful one. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."

In turn, Jabba paused. He voice rumbled again and his droid stammered, "That will be all."

Mohc stared at Jabba and then forced a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—11—

The durasteel doors sealed shut as Cheato walked into the technology testing lab. The room's ceiling was at least a hundred meters up and it was twice as long. All of the technicians—there were at least two dozen in the room—were wearing white lab coats and working on all sorts of landspeeder-sized devices. One literally a landspeeder itself, another a mounted laser turret, a series of desks and flatscreen terminals lining up the opposite wall, and a dozen other mechanical and electronic projects.

General Jan Dodonna, an older man in his sixties, floated up to Cheato in his hoverchair, his left foot extended with a cast on the end of it.

"Good morning, general," said Cheato white looking down at Jan's leg. "Sorry about the leg. What happened?"

A rocket flew out from underneath Dodonna's foot and blew up a pile of scrap across the room.

Dodonna turned to Cheato, smiled and said, "Hunting."

Dodonna stood from his chair and dusted himself off, "Right. Now pay attention, Cheato. First your modified ship."

Dodonna gestured toward a ship, "Your YT-2000. Agile. Thanks to us now makes point-five past lightspeed and, as you know, also capable of hyperspace."

Cheato brushed the side of the ship with his puckered fingers and Dodonna continued, "We recently added a self-destruct system and, naturally, we left in all the usual refinements."

Dodonna raised a finger and smiled, "Now, this I'm particularly proud of. In the warhead launcher, proton torpedoes."

"Excellent," said Cheato. "Just the thing for relaxing after a tough day at the office."

"Need I remind you, Cheato, that you've been granted the permission to take lethal action, not to break civilian hyperspace lane laws."

"I would never dream of it."

"Good. Right. Let's get on to more practical matters," Dodonna walked over to another table with a belt on it and several other vidscreens. "A typical rancor hide leather belt. Male, size thirty-four. Buckle, notch."

Cheato pressed a few controls on one of the terminals. Dodonna raised an eyebrow, "Are you finished?"

Cheato stopped and said, "Yes."  
"Good," Dodonna picked up the belt and raised it. "A typical rancor hide leather belt—"

"General," Cheato interrupted. "I'm familiar with that device."

"Not one with a twenty-five meter liquid cable dispenser built into the buckle. Fire, and out shoots a piton followed by a high-powered liquid cable designed to support your weight."

"I see," said Cheato. "And what if I need additional support?"

"So far it's only tested for one, Cheato."

Dodonna picked up a datapad and checked a terminal. He said, "Flight 878 to Nar Shaddaa." A few quick strokes on the datapad and Dodonna sent an electronic flight ticket statement to Cheato's account. Dodonna smiled and tapped the table on which the terminal sat. "X-Ray documents scanner," he said.

Dodonna retrieved a pen from his coat pocket and said, "A stylus. This is a class four fragmentation grenade. Three taps—" Dodonna pressed his finger to the end of the stylus three times, "—arms the four second fuse. Another three disarms it," Dodonna pressed it three times again.

Cheato took the stylus from Dodonna's hand, pressed it three times, and eyeballed it curiously. His eyelids lowered in concentration, "How long did you say the fuse was?" Dodonna glared and snatched the stylus back.

Dodonna turned and walked toward a deactivated droid along one the lab's walls around a corner, retrieved the actual stylus from his coat, and said, "Let's ask this long-since burned-out droid husk to demonstrate this stylus for us." Dodonna wedged the stylus in one of the droid husk's empty eye sockets, "Here we are. Sorry about this." Dodonna tapped the stylus three times at the end, ran around the corner, and covered his ears.

The droid husk exploded in a shower of fiery debris.

Dodonna looked at the debris, "Now, Cheato, do please try and return some of this equipment in pristine order."

Cheato found a sandwich on a desk next to them and picked it up. Dodonna snatched it back from him, "Don't touch that! It's my lunch."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—12—

After Flight 878 descended into the bustling spaceport Cheato left it, wearing a long black coat, and carrying both a suitcase and briefcase. He shivered for a moment, readjusting to the cold weather rather than the warm but stale air of a public transport starship. Outside the spaceport he scanned the horizon of endless tall structures that surrounded the spaceport and covered the entire moon. Cheato's gaze settled on a light-skinned human across the street that leaned against a dark gray landspeeder reading from a datapad. The human was wearing a brown flight suit, a matching brown billed cap, and had a blaster rifle slung across his shoulder.

After letting traffic pass, Cheato walked over to the human and leaned next to him against the speeder. He said, "I thought Nar Shaddaa was supposed to be warmer this side this time of year."

"Yeah?" the man asked, looking up from his datapad. "And what are you? A holonet weatherman? For crying out loud, another whiny Alliance SpecOps with your secret codes and your passwords. One of these days you guys will learn to just drop it.

"Come on," the man gestured to his right. "My speeder's over there."

The man walked to it and Cheato picked up his luggage and followed. Traffic passed again and the man led Cheato to a small sky blue speeder. The man took Cheato's luggage and put it into his trunk. Cheato opened the driver's seat door for him and said, "After you."

"Thank you."

Cheato slammed the door on him and pressed a blaster pistol into his chest and said, "Like you said, drop it."

The human rolled his eyes, "Here it's not a warm month but on Nar Shaddaa we're freezing our rears off. Is that close enough?"

"No," Cheato pressed the blaster harder into his chest. "Show me the rose."

The human looked around, "Please, no."

Cheato pushed harder and the man squirmed, "All right, all right, all right!" Looking around once more the man slowly unbuckled his belt, turned, and lowered his pants. On his lower back was the tattoo of a red rose. Just above the rose it read "Kat".

"'Kat'?" Cheato asked.

"Third ex-girlfriend," the man said, pulling up his pants. He held out his hand, "Korran Diveeris. Alliance, underground Nar Shaddaa branch."

Cheato took it, "Cheato, whiny Alliance SpecOps."

Korran smiled, "That was a nice move."

"Nice speeder."

"This baby hasn't let me down yet. She's ugly, but she'll get you there."

Cheato put away his blaster and Korran asked, "Hey, Cheato? You do any gardening?"

* * *

A few hours after getting into Korran's speeder and leaving, Cheato now watched as the human tinkered with the engine of his hissing and smoking speeder in the middle of a crowded plaza. A box of tools sat open next to Korran. Kneeling, Korran held out his arm, "Hand me that hydrospanner, Cheaty?"

Cheato leaned over and gave the hydrospanner to Korran, "What do you know about the Vaapad Syndicate?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one's ever seen their leader. But he's connected all over the damn place. Black Sun, Empire, Hutt cartel—," Korran paused. "Sonic wrench?"

Cheato handed him the wrench and Korran kept talking and tinkering, "Rumor has it, he lives on one of those old Republic _acclamator_-class assault ships. That armored stuff they used so that Seperatist missiles couldn't rupture them. Want to hand me that hammer, Cheat?"

Korran stood up and looked down at his work on the landspeeder's engine. Cheato handed Korran a hammer from the toolbox.

"No," Korran said. "The bigger one. The turbo." Cheato put down the hammer and gave Korran the turbohammer. Korran continued answering Cheato's question, "Anyways, to tell the truth, you don't find this guy, he finds you." Korran tapped at something small but long sticking out of the engine until it was in place, "The best thing I can do is point you in the direction of his competition."

Korran slammed the turbohammer into the engine and the landspeeder squeaked back to life.

Cheato chucked, "Who is the competition?"

"An ex-administration droid. Tough one too," Korran answered. "Got a limp in his right leg. Name's eighty-eight."

"_Eight-tee_ eighty-eight?" Cheato asked.

"Yeah. You know him?"

"I gave him the limp."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—13—

Throughout the spaceport, creatures continued to shuffle to and from their gates. Out of one gate came Lahid, wrapped up in a brown coat and looking around. He spotted two Stormtroopers standing by a pillar and quickly walked away from them.

Lahid continued dodging traffic for a few more minutes and then ran to a corner building with a sign just above the door that read: "Computer Electronics Store". He looked side-to-side when he got to the door before he walked in. Inside he saw orbs of light hanging from the ceiling and several tables showcasing cutting edge civilian-legal computers. An old toydarian sat at a desk just next to the store's entrance and briefly glanced at him.

Lahid walked to the end of the room and into another. Inside was a labor droid moving computer parts in an electronic shelving area. He tapped on the open door and the droid turned. The droid finished putting the rectangular computer part on a shelf and asked Lahid impatiently, "Yes?"

"Are these all you have?" Lahid asked, gesturing to the computers in the first room.

"How many do you want?"

"Thirty-five total. Both from sources I shouldn't name for your safety. Holonet compatible, with top-of-the-line hard drives, laser readers, and Imperial compatible."

"You'll pay in credits?"

"Of course."

"If you require a demonstration, sir, I can—"

"I require _one _demonstration model and a quiet place to test it."

The droid gestured inside of the storage room, let Lahid and itself in, and closed the door.

* * *

Rix Danime's flatscreen read, "INCOMING MESSAGE".

Rix wheeled around in his chair and opened the message at another terminal. He smiled to himself, noting the sender's name, and muttered it, "Lahid..."

* * *

Lahid smiled back at Rix's response: "THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD."

Lahid responded: "MOHC KILLED EVERYONE, ACTIVATED THE DARK TROOPERS – TOOK THEIR ACTIVATION CODES."

The labor droid opened the door and asked Lahid, "Is everything satisfactory?"

Lahid glared back at it, "Everything except the interruption."

Rix typed back: "YOU AREN'T SAFE. TRUST NO ONE. MEET ME AT THE _HYDRA_ CANTINA IN ONE HOUR."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—14—

Korran's landspeeder followed two others and a bus across a four-lane bridge spanning over an artificial chasm. The chasm contained even more structures and multi-layered bridges than what surrounded them at first sight.

"Now let me get this straight, Cheat," Korran said. "You shot him in the leg, you stole his ship, you took his credits. Now you want 8t-88 to set you up with Vaapad?"

"Yep."

"What are you gonna do? Appeal to his heart?"

"No. His wallet."

"Well, that might work."

Korran pulled his speeder into a wide alleyway and parked. "Okay, showtime. 8t-88 operates out of building number twenty-three, there," Korran said, pointing to a low building where a Gran and a Rodian both stood wearing coats, the Gran smoking a death stick, the Rodian pacing. Korran turned to Cheato, "Are you sure you want to do this? Last guy who dropped in uninvited went home in several small space freight cargo boxes."

"Make sure they send me back to the fleet first-class," Cheato stepped out of the speeder.

* * *

Lahid hustled across the park at small domed building with a green glowing two-headed snake and a sign above it that read: "HYD A". Inside, he left the entrance door open, and scanned the room. He saw the place lit by dozens of low-lit lamps. Above was the interior of the dome and it was covered in viewscreens depicting sporting events all over the galaxy. Across the room was what appeared to be a back door. Aside from the viewscreens and loud noise all of the tables and chairs were empty. There didn't appear to be any staff either.

Lahid walked in and waited, his anxiety levels rising. He looked around and managed to spot one robed figure hunched over a bowl of soup at one of the tables. Lahid smiled and started to walk over but stopped when the entrance doors squeaked shut.

A jolt went through Lahid and he turned to run for the back door. As he turned he ran into someone and he tried to shove him off. The person said, still holding on, "Lahid! It's me, it's Rix! It's Rix!" Rix put a finger to his lips and shushed him. Frowning, Lahid turned and saw the armored assassin from Balmorra behind him, blaster rifle at the ready. Lahid turned back to Rix, jaw grimly set.

* * *

The night club's atmosphere was blue and hazy thanks to the low lighting and constant death stick usage. The bar at one end of the club glittered from the hundreds of bottles sitting against its wall. The night club was filled with about two dozen patrons, all of which were shuffling about and looking for an exit before the upcoming lounge act started. A little bit of red light emerged from the stage where several females; one human, one Rodian, and one Twi'lek; stretched for their act.

One droid moved through the crowd at a determined but slow pace. It was stick-like and tall, metal bars and forming its limbs and black to dark gray spheres making up its joints. Its head was spherical in the back but rectangular in the front; white, red, and blue light photoreceptors were attached the the sides of the rectangular visage.

"Another morning wasted," the droid said, its voice volume low. "Free-market economy, it will likely be the end of my business."

The droid walked into a room that had its doorway covered by maroon curtains. When it walked in Cheato sprang from the shadows and pointed his blaster pistol to the side of the droid's head.

"BlasTech DL-44," the droid said, voice at normal volume. "Optimum range of 50 meters. Only three organics I know use such a weapon. I believe I've been responsible for the deaths of two of them."

"Lucky me," Cheato said.

An arm holding a blaster moved through the curtains and pressed the nozzle against the side of Cheato's head.

"I think not," said the droid.

The three women outside sang very poorly outside the room on the stage. They sang about problems with their husbands and boyfriends, each of them wearing tight and short white dresses. A weequay drummer accompanied their belted, warbling vocals from the rear of the stage. The same Rodian and a Gran from outside hoisted Cheato out of the backroom and into the previous main nightclub room. The two guards threw Cheato down onto a booth cushion and a few more guards walked into the room to watch the unraveling situation. When the droid returned the guards took their place behind it.

The droid took a seat in front of Cheato and said, "Cheato: Elusive, deadly mercenary-for-hire. Clearly the Force those Rebels cling to is not with you." The crowd behind the droid watching the conversation laughed.

"I see you haven't lost your unintentional sense of humor, eighty-eight, or your need for an audience," said Cheato, who glanced at the girls on stage. "Who's strangling the cat?"

"Strangling a cat?" 8t-88 asked. The droid turned toward the stage, saw the girls—particularly the singing Twi'lek, turned back and fired a laser bolt from his wrist between Cheato's legs, turning the cushion into melted leather. "That is Irina, the finest of the mistresses I employ."

Cheato gulped, "Very talented girl."

"Irina!" 88's voice raised to its highest volume and waved to the girls. "Enough!" The girls stopped mid-song, some of them making rude gestures at 8t-88, and left backstage.

"So, Cheato," 8t-88 turned back to the Rodian. "What is it that brings you to my sector? Still working for the Rebel Alliance or have you decided to freelance your services to better paying crime lords like other sane organics? I hear the Rebellion is now employing Bothans."

"I want you to do me a favor," said Cheato.

The crowd laughed and 8t-88 paused, "A favor? The repairs on my right leg weren't inexpensive. Occasionally it malfunctions. Particularly in cold environments."

Cheato smiled, "For an ex-administration droid you surprise me, eighty-eight. I'm sure someone of your stature must realize my goal was to hit your knee-joint but to miss the rest of you."

"Why didn't you destroy me?"

"Courtesy. Of the professional kind."

"Then I should extend to you the same courtesy," 8t-88 fired two more laser bolts to the sides of Cheato and aimed then aimed at his crotch.

"Verrok's funeral parlor. Four hundred standard hours this afternoon," Cheato stammered.

* * *

"Two hundred thermal detonators hidden in a casket," Cheato continued the conversation from before but now he was in 8t-88's personal office. Ornate windows led to the bright streets below, leather furniture made up most of the rest of the room, and a cabinet sat in the back—which 8t-88 was currently searching through. "Your man drives the speeder inside. The money's exchanged. Their man drives the speeder out. Their man will be arrested with the explosives. Your man will make a miraculous escape with the money. _Your_ money."

8t-88 set a glass of Corellian whiskey on the side of the couch next to Cheato and sat behind his desk. The droid asked, "And what do I owe for this accommodation?"

"I want you to set me up with Vaapad," replied Cheato.

"What has he done to get your attention?"

"Stole some droids."

"I have many of those operating for me. I am one myself."

"Only a few of them are working."

"Very observant."

"They're not just criminals to the Alliance, eighty-eight, they also have the guts to betray the Empire," Cheato said. "They used the droid prototype to steal an army of war droids. Killed a lot of innocent people doing it."

"What do you expect from me?" asked 8t-88.

Cheato opened his small puckered mouth to speak but then closed it.

"This Vaapad, he calls himself this—at least from what I've heard, though I've never met him, but I know he's a Zinel-Torn," said 8t-88.

"A family of nobles who allied with the Separatists against the Republic during the Clone Wars," Cheato said.

8t-88 nodded, "You know your history. At the end of the war the Zinel-Torns surrendered to the Republic on Dantooine believing they would join the Republic and wage war against the Confederacy. But the Republic betrayed them and sent them back to Coruscant who promptly had them imprisoned. This left many children deprived of their families so the Republic shipped them off to foster families."

Cheato frowned, "The Republic had run out of 'finest hours' by this point."

"Regardless," 8t-88 continued. "Ruthless people. They likely received what was coming to them."

"I want you to set me up with Vaapad," Cheato said. "Tell him I'm asking about the droid prototype. You're going to meet me at the Grand Nar Shaddaa Hotel."

"And then you think we will be even? And Vaapad owes me?" 8t-88 asked.

"Exactly."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—15—

Later that night, airspeeders and airtaxis zoomed in and out of the lobby-hangar of the Grand Nar Shaddaa Hotel. The building itself was large enough to accommodate at least 1,000 people—the first 100 likely for Hutt crimelords and the rest for wealthy offworlders.

Inside Cheato swam to the surface of a swimming pool, shaking water out of his antennae. He swam backwards, face upward and examined the room again. It was made out of marble—creating a sort of beige color throughout the circular room. Roughly two dozen pillars stood from ground to ceiling between the pool itself and the room's walls, a few benches were pushed up against them. Four pairs of wooden doors were lined up along the north, south, west, and east walls.

From the north pair of wooden double doors, which was behind Cheato, Boba Fett came through silently.

Cheato's large black eyes were closed as he relaxed and gently floated backwards on his back. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes and turned his head. He noticed steam coming from the western room. Cheato moved to the pool's edge and stepped out. He walked to one of the benches where he left a towel and wiped it over his face. He began walking to the steamy room and when he did a blaster carbine was pointed at his face. At the same moment Cheato drew his blaster from inside his towel—which he pointed squarely at Boba Fett's visor.

"No need for firearms, commander," said Fett.

"Why haven't you used yours?" asked Cheato.

Boba Fett took a step forward.

"That's close enough," said Cheato.

Boba Fett flicked his carbine and sent Cheato's blaster skittering across the floor. Fett fired, Cheato ducked. Cheato's fist rose into Fett's wrist and his other hand into Fett's elbow. Fett's arms jerked and the carbine fell. Fett rammed into Cheato with a shoulder. Cheato threw Fett off of him and Fett crashed into the opposite wall.

Cheato wiped blood from his puckered lips. He reached for his weapon but Fett appeared next to him and kicked him in the side. Cheato collapsed and Fett dropped onto him. Cheato managed to roll Fett underneath his own body.

Cheato leapt off of Fett and dove for his blaster again but Fett was already on top of him. Fett's hands wrapped around Cheato's throat and tightened. Cheato's vision blurred and he sputtered. He grabbed at Fett's armored wrists and tried pulling them apart but it was like trying to move a vice.

Cheato threw all of his energy into throwing himself and Fett to the side until Fett was up against the wall. Fett pushed back and Cheato tumbled into the opposite wall. Both stood up and charged one other—they both collapsed onto the steam generator in the room, Fett's back fell directly on it but his armor absorbed the heat.

A three-eyed Gran walked into the room, preparing to throw himself into the fray at Cheato, but Cheato lobbed a bucket full of water sitting next to the steam generator at him. The bucket collided with his face and he fell hard.

With Cheato above Fett, the Rodian tumbled off of Fett with the bounty hunter still attached. Cheato rolled with the fall back to the floor and finally grabbed his blaster. He stood and pointed it at Fett who was still on the floor.

"Enough," Cheato said. "Take me to Vaapad."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—16—

Boba Fett's starship, the _Slave I_, descended to the surface of the planet Kessel. The elephant head shaped craft flew over the rusty brown and rocky mountain ranges and began to decelerate. The ship's forward lights snapped on, then slowed to a complete stop, and finally its lights illuminated a cave entrance that was wide enough to house an Imperial Star Destroyer. The ship slowly moved in, turned on its backside, and landed. The whine of deactivated engines echoed throughout the chamber.

Inside the cave was a miles long scrapheap; ranging from piles of broken metal, parts of dismantled landspeeders, and fuselages of starships.

Boba Fett stared out of the viewport of _Slave I's _cockpit. He turned his head to the man holding a gun to the side of his head in the seat next to him.

"This is it?" Cheato asked.

"Yes," replied Fett.

"Well, I must say," Cheato said. "It's been a nice ride. Don't you think?"

"Once again: I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted," again replied Fett.

"You'll understand if I'm not ready to go for another one anytime soon?"

"I won't lose any sleep over it."

Cheato turned his blaster to the STUN setting, lowered his blaster, and shot Fett in the chest. There was a flash of blue and Fett slumped in his seat. "Good night," Cheato said.

Cheato lowered the landing ramp from the _Slave I_ and walked down. When his feet touched the cave ground he felt a chill. He looked around the wide expanse of the dump that were illuminated by the bright forward lights of _Slave I_ shining over it. Touching a control next to the landing ramp, the ramp retracted itself into the ship and a door sealed it completely.

Cheato looked fifty meters to his left and saw, hidden among the trash, was the Phase Three Dark Trooper suit.

Brow furrowed, Cheato stepped into the wide garbage heap. One minute into the junkyard and he was surrounded by a dozen statues of historical figures from many eras all over the galaxy. Cheato couldn't identify most of them, they went too far back—likely into the days of the Old Republic. He did find some that were no-brainers; a bust of Count Dooku, a political opponent of the Republic in the Clone Wars, a spear-wielding helmeted soldier from Naboo, and even a modern statue of Darth Vader.

Sensing that a place as dark and shadowed as this, regardless of _Slave I'_s lights, was the perfect place for an ambush, Cheato gripped his blaster tighter. He continued, passing between two broken podracer engines, a TIE Fighter fuselage, and a statue of an Imperial Moff.

There was a clunk from behind the TIE Fighter fuselage and Cheato spun, blaster pointed ahead. Nothing. He felt like the Moff was watching him.

"Hello, Cheato," said someone.

Cheato stopped, turned, and pointed his blaster towards the shadows where the voice came from. From the entrance of an illuminated bunker that was covered in trash for disguise, stood a figure—his body a black silhouette. He stepped forward into range of the _Slave I'_s lights. Aside from the right side of his face being burned the human was definitely Rippan Torn.

Cheato paused but his blaster was still level. "Rippan?"

"Back from the dead," Rippan smiled. "No longer a forgotten blip in the memoriam of the Rebel Alliance's personnel records. What's the matter, Cheato? No comeback? Nothing?"

Cheato faltered. His blaster lowered. He asked, "Why?"

Rippan laughed. "Hilarious question, especially from you. Did _you_ ever ask why? Why we captured all those Imperial Moffs, eliminated all those garrisons? Only to come home and hear: 'Well done, good job, but sorry, everything you risked your life for has changed.'"

Cheato's gaze narrowed and he raised his blaster again, "It was the job we were chosen for."

"Of course you'd say that," Rippan spat. "Cheato, Mon Mothma's pet, defender of so-called 'freedom'."

Cheato maintained his aim.

"Oh, please, Cheato, put it down," Rippan rolled his eyes. "It's insulting to think I haven't predicted every move you could make."

"Right," Cheato said, then paused, and slowly lowered his blaster. "I trusted you, Rippan."

"Trust?" Rippan smiled. "What a stupid idea."

"How did the Alliance's background checkers miss that your parents were Zinel-Torns?"

"Once again, your faith is misplaced," Rippan explained. "They knew. We both lost our families. But where your mother had the luxury of dying in a speeder accident and your father had the luxury of being murdered, mine survived the Republic's betrayal and the Confederacy's prisons. My father couldn't let himself or my mother live with the shame of it. The Alliance figured I was too young to remember. And in one of life's little ironies the son went off to work for an Alliance trying to bring the Old Republic back. A Republic with a betrayal that caused my father to kill himself and his wife."

"Hence, Vaapad," said Cheato. "An old Jedi fighting technique that allowed them to brush with their darker side of the Force."

"It wasn't the will of the Alliance's precious Force that gave me this face," Rippan spat. "It was you—setting the timers for three minutes instead of six."

"You want me to feel sorry for you?"

"No, you're supposed to die for me," Rippan chuckled. "By the way, I did think of asking you to join my little scheme, but somehow I knew your loyalty was always to the Alliance, never to your friends."

Cheato's puckered visage turned into an angry frown—this made Rippan smile and he said, "Closing time, Cheato. Last call."

There was a loud crackle of energy and a blue flash. Cheato fell to the ground. The human mercenary that shot him stepped out from behind the TIE Fighter fuselage. Both Rippan and the mercenary stepped up to Cheato's fallen figure. Rippan looked down at him and said, "For the Alliance, Cheato."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—17—

"Wake up!" screamed a man's voice. "Come on, man! Wake up, please! Wake up!"

"I'm here, I'm here..." grumbled Cheato. His eyes opened groggily and saw that he was surrounded by tightly and oddly shaped machinery and electronics pressed up against his body. He realized he was trapped inside of a suit of robotic armor—no doubt the Dark Trooper Phase Three outfit. Claustrophobia threatened him. He looked down and realized he was tied up with strong cable and that he was also tied to someone else—Cheato's back against this person's back front—and he was yelling.

"Hurry!" screamed the man again. "Hurry up! Come on! Pull yourself together! We're gonna die!"

Cheato saw on the Phase Three's HUD display that a timer was ticking down from twenty-eight seconds. It read: TIME TO LAUNCH. The target and location was the suit itself.

Cheato began squirming violently and the man he was tied to continued yelling, "Do something! Get us out of here!"

"I'm a little tied up!" Cheato retorted. "Never mind."

The timer ticked down to seventeen. Cheato stared at the HUD in front of him. Outside of it he could see the starry night sky of Kessel's thin atmosphere through the cave's entrance. Cheato head-butted the HUD. No response. He tried it again. Cheato and the man heard the whine of the Phase Three's jetpack engine coming to life.

The timer ticked down to ten. The jetpack continued to power up. The man behind Cheato continued to squirm, he could feel his head moving as if he were looking for an emergency exit or a loose cable. Cheato turned and saw the Phase Three's shoulder-mounted missile launchers just outside of his view from the HUD.

The timer ticked down to zero and two of the missiles launched. There was a white-hot flash and two missiles streaked away from the Phase Three and out of the cave. Cheato watched them and the man tied to him asked, "What's going on? Are they coming back for us? The missiles?"

Cheato glanced back at the HUD's data retrieval. It read: TIME TO TARGET 00:12 and was ticking down again. Cheato saw the missiles criss-cross against the starry backdrop and turn back around towards them at high speed through the cave's entrance.

Cheato frantically looked around and saw a big red button next to his head that read: EJECT. He swung his head at it, trying to depress the button with one solid blow. The missiles got closer. He got a good hit on the button and the head of the Phase Three blew off in a shower of sparks—then Cheato and the man he was tied to were launched out of the suit. The missiles collided with the Phase Three's body and it blew the shell apart into giant chunks of flaming scrap.

Cheato and the other tied-up man were rocking around on the seat from the force of the propulsion and the explosion. One hundred meters up, there was a _crack_ sound and a large parachute opened above their heads. They both began gliding gently down to the cave floor. Cheato took this time to fumble with the cables tying him to the seat and he managed to get himself out. The other man rolled out of the seat and onto the cave floor.

"Let me help you," said Cheato. Giving the man a hand to help him back up—Cheato noticed the man was dressed in civilian clothing, a blue tunic and black pants, his eyes were blue, his hair long and blond—he would have passed for human if it weren't the fleshy points on the ends of his ears. The man stood, shoved Cheato away, and ran off through the junkyard.

Cheato ran after him and tackled him. The pointy-eared man yelled, "Let me go!"

Lights suddenly shined on them and they both stared back at them. From the cave entrance and stopping directly in front of them came four armored landspeeders fastened with searchlights and blaster cannons. The four speeders came to a halt in the burning wreckage and from each one emerged two armed men—they aimed their blaster rifles at Cheato and his new associate.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—18—

The four armored landspeeders took Cheato and his pointy earred associate to a massive rectangular building nestled in a crater. The building was dotted with windows, gray pillars, and statues of Hutts. The speeders pulled up to the building and slowed down, where a wide durasteel door covered in Huttese rolled up. The speeders went inside and the door then slammed itself shut.

Inside, Cheato and Pointy-Ears were stun-cuffed to each other and forced into a dark interrogation room. They were shoved through a door that was no doubt wide enough to allow the entrance of a Hutt. A table and two chairs sat inside and two grimy windows let in a small amount of light. The guard that accompanied them inside, a three-eyed Gran, unlocked their stun-cuffs, left the room, and locked the two prisoners inside.

Pointy-Ears wandered to one of the chairs and stopped just next to it.

"Who are you?" Cheato asked him.

Pointy-Ears stared at him and didn't respond, instead of sitting in the chair he leaned up against the dirty brick wall.

"Listen," said Cheato. "I'm on your side and here to help."

"I don't know anything—"

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care."

"Look," Cheato said, pinning him to the wall. "They might be back any second. You either take your chances with me or the friendly Imperials that killed everyone at your Balmorra facility."

"I've never been to Balmorra," said Pointy-Ears, forcing Cheato off of him.

Cheato still held onto Pointy-Ears' arm. He glanced at his wrist and said, "Your chronometer has. Says it was manufactured by the Imperials there. The Imperials don't sell to anyone not affiliated with them. Which means either you're an Imperial or a top-of-the-line smuggler. I'm going with Imperial because a smuggler of that skill would have been able to escape all this—even escape me. I'll bet you're the one who climbed the wreckage to get out."

Pointy-Ears' eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"I work for the Rebel Alliance," replied Cheato. "The more you tell me, the more I can help you."

"But I—I don't know anything!"

"Then let's start with what you _do_ know."

Pointy-Ears hung his head. He walked to one of the chairs, slumped in it, and said, "My name is Lahid. I was a systems programmer at that Balmorra Imperial Weapons facility until..."

Lahid's eyes went distant for a moment. Cheato waited after he trailed off before saying, "Go on."

Lahid almost whispered, "Until they killed everyone."

"Who? Rippan Torn?"

"No, I don't know who that is."

"Who was the insider? Who was the traitor?"

"Rix," Lahid eyes seemed to lose focus. "Rix Danime."

"Black Sun? Imperial?"

"Computer programmer."

"There was no one else?"

"No," Lahid looked back up at Cheato. "They're going to kill me, aren't they?"

Cheato squinted back at him, determined, and said, "Just trust me."

Lahid laughed, "Trust you? I don't even know your name."

The door opened and a Hutt slithered in, accompanied by two armed guards, and a silver protocol droid. One of the guards closed the door after all of them entered. The Hutt spoke and the droid translated it for him in its raspy electronic voice, "Good morning, Cheato. Take a seat." The Hutt waited for them to take their seats before making his way up to the table himself. He set Cheato's blaster on the table—the guard in the room leveled his own blaster rifle at Cheato when the Rodian saw it. The Hutt continued, "I'm Jabba the Hutt. By what means shall we execute you, Cheato?"

"What? Is that it for your small talk and chit-chat?" said Cheato. He turned to Lahid, "That's the trouble these days. No one does a really scary interrogation anymore. It's like a lost or forgotten classic holovid."

"Your sense of humor doesn't amuse me," rumbled Jabba. "Where are the Dark Troopers?"

"I thought _you_ had them."

"I have a Rebel commando, an Imperial engineer, and the pieces of an armored war suit—"

"At least that's what some traitor wanted, the Imperials wanted it to look like—"

"Who is behind that attack?"

"Who had the authorization codes?"

"The penalty for this is death!"

"Is that the same penalty for betrayal?!"

"Wait!" said Lahid. "Hold on. It was Mohc. Mohc activated the Dark Troopers. I saw him do it."

A silence carried over the table. Jabba's eyes bored into Lahid's, the translator tried to keep up as Jabba rumbled at him, "Are you certain it was Mohc?"

"Yes," replied Lahid. "He killed everyone and stole the Dark Troopers' activation keys."

"And why would he do that?"

"Because there's another regiment of Dark Troopers."

Jabba eyes bulged for a moment before he regained his composure, "Another regiment, hmm? Thank you. You were saying something about the lost art of interrogation, Cheato?"

The door burst open and Admiral Rom Mohc entered. Mohc pleaded at Jabba, "I must protest! This is my investigation. You are out of order."

Jabba jabbed his fat hand at Mohc, "From what I'm hearing, it's _you_ who is out of order."

Mohc picked up Cheato's blaster, thumbed it to maximum stun, and showed it to Jabba closely, "I've seen this blaster before."

"Put it down," rumbled Jabba. "Put it down now, Admiral!"

"Do you even know who our enemies are, Jabba?" Mohc's voice rose. "Do you?!"

"Guard!" Jabba yelled.

Mohc stunned the guard, turned and stunned Jabba. Both targets were knocked across the room into slumped awkward poses. The force of the energy threw Cheato and Lahid out of the chairs and onto the floor. Mohc looked down at them, removed the power cell from the blaster and said to them, "Jabba the Hutt was murdered by a Rebel spy named Cheato." He tossed the blaster at Cheato, who caught it and returned it to his holster. Mohc continued, "Cheato himself was shot while trying to escape. Guards!"

Lahid kicked a chair into Mohc's legs and he fell. Cheato kneed Mohc, punched him, and then grabbed him. He threw him into the wall just as a Gran and a Rodian burst into the room. Cheato threw his weight into the door and slammed the other Rodian against the wall. Cheato reached for the Gran's gun—the Gran reflexively pulled the trigger, almost frying Lahid—and Cheato knocked him out with a fist followed by a rifle butt.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; all of this is property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, and Disney. This story is also inspired by the film _Goldeneye, _which also does not belong to me. _Goldeneye_ belongs to Eon Productions, MGM, and United Artists.

* * *

—19—

"Come on!" cried Cheato, gesturing to Lahid to follow him. Both of them ran from the room. When they entered the hallway they noticed the walls seemed to shimmer—some slimy substance covered them. A few dim and flickering light fixtures hung from the ceiling. Cheato noted that there weren't any guards at the end of the hall so they both ran forward. At the end of it was a staircase intersected by a landing. They both ran up it. Two Stormtroopers stood at the top. Cheato sprayed lasers at them until they dropped. Diving into another hall filled with doors and offices, Cheato slid across the floor blasting down the other end of the hall—killing two more Stormtroopers, one of their bodies crashed through a stack of cargo crates.

The door at the other end of the hall slid open and Stormtroopers bolted in. Cheato spun on his back at fired at them while Lahid ducked behind more cargo boxes. One Stormtrooper fell and the rest took cover behind the doorway. Cheato stood and shot down an Imperial officer coming out of a nearby office.

Cheato turned at the noise of clacking boots behind him and saw another squadron of Stormtroopers coming up from the stairs he and Lahid just came from. He fired into the chests of three of the Stormtroopers and they tumbled down the stairs, tripping the others.

Cheato's power cell read: EMPTY. He picked up another blaster rifle from a fallen Stormtrooper and dropped the burned out one. He and Lahid ran down the hall and the rest of the Stormtroopers followed. They turned and fired at Cheato and Lahid just as they turned a corner. As the two escapees ran, Cheato blasted a door open at the end of the hall. They both dashed into a room that resembled a library—but instead of books the shelves were filled with electronic data disks to be examined from a linked viewscreen. More light fixtures hung from the ceiling and the floor was made up of dozens of grates—solid enough to carry objects and people but with gaps wide enough to see through. The room was as large as a hangar bay and had two floors—the first floor's bottom could be seen from the second since there was a large circular railed pit in most of the second floor's center.

Cheato and Lahid ran along the railing and reached the middle point of the second floor. There Cheato rammed his shoulder against one of the shelves—he kept pushing until Lahid joined him. Together they knocked the shelves down towards the door they came from, one crashed into another.

From the hallway Mohc announced to his Stormtroopers, "They're in the Hutts' archive!"

The shelves continued to tumble until they crushed the last one against the doorway. The Stormtroopers still ran to it but couldn't squeeze themselves through it. Mohc watched them futilely try, "Down!" he ordered, gesturing to the other end of the hall. He began running and his squadron followed.

Cheato and Lahid looked out of a window. Below they saw a battalion of TX-130T fighter tanks sitting in the plaza below—for the most part unmanned. Both ran to the other end of the archive's second floor.

From below a wide door open and several squadrons of Stormtroopers came through with Rom Mohc. As the Stormtroopers took places of advantage among the crates and shelves around the room, Mohc crouched and moved straightforward.

Cheato and Lahid had both their backs to the shelves, staying still. They both turned to look—Lahid's shoulder accidentally tipped over a crate full of datacards. It landed with a clank on the floor.

Mohc turned to the direction of the noise and smiled.

Cheato gestured beyond and he and Lahid both ran. Mohc moved his hands—ordering the Stormtroopers to move forward and keep their weapons aimed and readied. Mohc moved with them. As Cheato and Lahid ran, the Stormtroopers opened fire beneath them, blowing huge chunks out of the grated floor. Both escapees turned a corner and kept running while the world exploded around them. They both dove through another shelf and the shelf absorbed dozens of blaster bolts before collapsing into melted slag. The Stormtroopers continued to follow and fire. Running out from cover, Cheato turned and fired through a smoking hole in the floor. Two Stormtroopers writhed as their chests erupted into flame. Cheato spun, blasting a Stormtrooper that sneaked up on he and Lahid while their attention was focused on the larger group. He and Lahid kept running; terminals, shelves, and boxes exploded around them as the Stormtroopers pumped endless lasers at them.

Cheato and Lahid dove behind another shelf—Cheato retrieved the liquid cable dispenser that was attached to his belt. Lahid's eyes bulged. Cheato muttered to him, "Just trust me."

Both of them dove out from behind the shelf, dodging more laser blasts while running in a zigzag formation between the shelves. A bolt sizzled across Lahid's leg and he fell against a shelf. Cheato spun—just in time to see Lahid's weight knock one of the grates in the floor loose and his body tumble down to the Stormtroopers below. Half a dozen Stormtroopers and Mohc pointed their guns square at Lahid.

He raised his hands in surrender.


End file.
